Bo Byram is back. Nathan MacKinnon is returning. The Avalanche’s NHL-leading scoring clip is bound to surge.

Avalanche coach Jared Bednar said if rookie Bo Byram had shot quicker a couple of times on Saturday night, the dynamic young defenseman would have had three goals against Nashville.

Following Colorado’s 6-2 victory, Bednar also could have said if star center Nathan MacKinnon was in the lineup, the Avs could have reached seven goals for the fourth time in eight games.

Bottom line: Colorado proved in November that it is loaded offensively, and has the ability to become more dangerous when MacKinnon rejoins Byram in the lineup on Wednesday at Toronto. The Avs are 7-1 in MacKinnon’s latest absence and 5-1 without both MacKinnon and Byram this month.

They have averaged 5.4 goals in the past eight games to lead the NHL in scoring at 4.00. And their .750 winning percentage in November (7-2-1) is a club record.

What happens when MacKinnon follows Byram in rejoining the lineup in the next game on Wednesday at Toronto? Perhaps MacKinnon will realize he doesn’t have to be the superstar for this team to score more goals than it allows, and that diminished pressure will add to the team’s chemistry.

“He’s one of the best players in the world,” Mikko Rantanen, who had three goals and four points against the Preds, said of MacKinnon. “Getting one of the best players back to the team is only going to help us.”

Byram is certainly an important side piece, and he adds to what already is the NHL’s most multi-faceted blue-line corps.

Byram, who settled for the game-winning goal and four shots in logging 22:00 after missing six games with another concussion, was the second coming of Cale Makar against the Preds. That’s a big statement as Makar, the 2021 Norris Trophy finalist who is on an offensive tear, had seven goals and 12 points in his career-high six-game points streak.

Bednar had high praise for Byram for how quickly the 20-year-old returned to his dominant nature while coming off at least his third concussion of 2021.

“You see a lot of guys come back from that type of injury and sort of tip-toe around the ice and not be as assertive, and I thought he was the exact opposite tonight,” Bednar said of the first defenseman selected in the 2019 draft. “That’s as good of a game as I’ve seen him play, and that’s after missing six games. He was physical and he was engaged. He was just engaged from start to finish.”

Byram has four goals and nine points in 12 games. Among all rookies that have played at least 10 games, he ranks second in points-per-game (0.75). If he can remain healthy, he should be leading the Calder Trophy conversation as the NHL rookie of the year.

“He looked like he didn’t miss any time,” Rantanen said of Byram.

Footnotes. The Avs (11-6-1) had Sunday off. They will practice Monday when MacKinnon is scheduled to shed his red non-contact jersey and be fully cleared. Colorado will travel to Toronto on Tuesday, and then begin a five-game trip against the Maple Leafs ….. The Avs will complete their second consecutive-night stretch of the season on Thursday at Montreal, who fired general manager Marc Bergevin and two other executives on Sunday.